Purgatory Rd. Sidewalk

The Town is in the process of designing a sidewalk along the length of Purgatory Road to provide a pedestrian connection compliant with he Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) from Aquidneck Ave. to Second Beach. The project also includes roadway improvements that will include some widening, repaving, and providing a 10-foot-wide travel lane and four-foot-wide shoulder in each direction. The project will be funded by State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) funds. Earlier design options and the latest design plans (30%)  are provided below. 

Town Council review - Prior to proceeding to the next design phase, the Town Council held a public hearing in February 2022 to review and consider approval of the 30% design plans. Following public input and discussion, the Town Council authorized the Town Administrator to proceed with 90% design subject to investigation of certain design alternatives. Following consideration of alternatives, the Town Council has decided to proceed to 90% design based on the 30% plans, subject to a couple of design options being included for additional consideration, including potential use of granite curbing rather than concrete, and potential use of exposed aggregated concrete for the sidewalk, rather than standard concrete. These options will be included in the advertised bid package so that pricing can be considered before making final decisions. 

Also, thanks to the assistance of Senator Whitehouse and Congressman Cicillini,  additional federal funding has made been available for the project, bringing the total funding to $2.43 million. While the 30% plans show the proposed sidewalk ending at Tuckerman Ave. and connecting to the existing gravel pathway down to the beach, the additional funding will allow the Town to consider completing the sidewalk connection to the parking lot at Surfer's End. This option will also be included in the bid package.

Given these recent discussions and the need for additional design work and plan review, construction is now expected to begin in Fall 2023 or Spring 2024. In either case, there will be no construction during the busy Summer months. If necessary, construction will be paused for the Summer and resume in the Fall.